Facts & Figures

North Carolina is a major player in the world economy, seeing its share of total U.S. exports increased by over 14% last year. North Carolina’s high-tech exports, including semiconductors, optical fibers, and civilian engines
and parts are increasingly important to the state’s economy and job creation.

Job Creation

Trade supported 1.1 million jobs in North Carolina in 2008, or 20.7% of total jobs, up from 8.4% in 1992.¹
Almost one-fifth (19.0%) of all manufacturing workers in North Carolina depended on exports for their jobs.²
In 2008, 206,700 people in North Carolina were employed by U.S. affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned.³

Exports and Growth

North Carolina exported $21.8 billion in merchandise to more than 200 foreign markets in 2009. North Carolina’s largest market in 2009 was Canada ($4.5 billion), followed by China ($1.8 billion), the Netherlands ($1.5 billion), Japan ($1.5 billion), and Mexico ($1.5 billion).⁴
In 2008, 8,376 companies exported goods from North Carolina. Of these, 87% were small- and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
Agricultural exports are important to North Carolina’s economy, totaling $3.1 billion and supporting about 35,907 jobs in 2008.⁵
Since 2007, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed $1.11 billion in exports from 137 companies in 66 communities in North Carolina.⁶

Education and Research

In 2008–2009, 8,948 North Carolina students studied abroad.⁷
During 2009–2010, 12,307 international students were enrolled in North Carolina colleges and universities and contributed $293.4 million to the North Carolina economy.⁸

Global Engagement

Since 1961, 3,540 Peace Corps volunteers from North Carolina have served in dozens of countries overseas.⁹
Support from U.S. government grants and contracts to private voluntary organizations engaged in foreign assistance and development in North Carolina totaled over $13 million in 2008.¹⁰

http://businessroundtable.org/uploads/studies-reports/downloads/Trade_and_American_Jobs.pdf
http://www.trade.gov/mas/ian/statereports/
http://www.bea.gov/scb/pdf/2010/11%20November/1110_us_ops.pdf
http://www.trade.gov/mas/ian/statereports/
http://www.fas.usda.gov/info/factsheets/WTO/states.html
https://webappsprod01.exim.gov/apps/usmap/usmap.nsf
http://www.iie.org/en/Research-and-Publications/Open-Doors/Data/Fact-Sheets-by-US-State
http://www.nafsa.org/publicpolicy/default.aspx?id=23158
http://multimedia.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/stats/homestates.pdf
http://www.pvo.net/usaid/